


Afterparty

by Daughter_of_Scotland



Series: Various Shows Short Stories [18]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, F/M, Non-con Drug Use, Underage Drinking, discussion about potential rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 16:17:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13791426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_Scotland/pseuds/Daughter_of_Scotland
Summary: Don Lamb gets a phone call and picks up a drugged Veronica from a party...Things develop from there.





	Afterparty

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is, not actually sure if I'll even continue it (but the chance is high, I swear!), but I really love these two for some reason, okay?  
> And yes, I know, my Lamb is ooc...

Looking back on it, Don Lamb wasn’t sure if it was luck or divine intervention that had him alone at the station when the call came in.

They had been getting noise complaints about the Pomroy’s place that night already, but ignored them, as they often did. But this call…

 

“Please, you need to send someone… they’ve put something in her drink, she’s totally out of it. I don’t know what they’re going to do to her.”

 

Now, Don knew he wasn’t the nicest person in town, but this sounded very much like some girl was about to get violated - and even he had a consciences. So he got into his car - alone, because, come on, it was an 09er party, he didn’t need backup for that - and drove to the right address.

 

The party was in full swing and most of the teenagers didn’t even blink when he walked by, even though they were clearly all drinking.

He followed the loudest noise to the back, to the poolside. A group of them surrounded a girl lying on a lawn chair, her dress pulled down under her bra, and the lower part pushed up so you could almost see her panties. She squirmed as two of the guys leaned down to lick salt off her, one of them going for the lime in her mouth.

 

Don wrinkled his nose in disgust. Everyone surrounding them was just staring, laughing, cheering… god, money truly did corrupt.

 

He moved closer and finally realized who the girl was.

 

_ Damn you, Veronica, _ he thought, but didn’t slow down. She might be a royal pain in his backside, but he still couldn’t let this happen to her.

 

“All right, kids, break it up,” he said when he was close enough. They turned and looked at him, still laughing.

 

“Ohhhh, the Sheriff is here,” the Echolls kid smirked. “You want to take a shot? We have the best salt lick in town.”

 

Veronica whimpered at the exact moment, making the others laugh again. One of them - Dick Casablancas - poured Tequila on her, soaking her hair.

 

Don felt his face grow red. “I said, break it the fuck up,” he snarled, pushing Echolls out of the way. “This party is over. Piss off, before I call the rest of the station and have all of you sober up in a nice, cushy cell!”

 

“Dude, chill,” Casablancas replied but he stepped back. The other kids dispersed, muttering to each other.

 

“Jesus,” Don muttered, looking at Veronica. She was soaking wet, there was still salt on her, and she had clearly been crying. “What are you even doing here?” he muttered and carefully righted her dress before he scooped her into his arms, carrying her bridal style to his car.

 

He heard the whispers and was sure there were some photos, but he didn’t really care. He carefully got her into the passenger seat and buckled her in, before going to the driver’s side.

Before getting in, he looked back to the party - one girl, a blonde, looked at him in obvious relief, mouthing a Thank you. He nodded at her, figuring she might have made the call. At least one of those kids wasn’t completely without morals.

 

He got into the car and carefully pulled out of the driveway.

 

“I should probably bring you to a hospital,” he muttered, throwing a side glance at his passenger. “Find out what they gave you…”

 

“Nooo,” she moaned, the first word he heard her say. “No ‘spital…”

 

Don sighed. “Fine, but I’m not bringing you home in this state, your dad will shoot me before asking any questions,” he replied.

 

_ I must be insane _ , he thought as he drove to his own apartment.  _ If Keith finds out about this, I’m dead. _

 

***

 

Getting her into his apartment without being seen required some maneuvering but he managed. He put her in his bed, not sure what else to do. Looking down at her, he realized how damn vulnerable she looked. He didn’t dare imagine what could have happened to her this night without someone willing to help her.

 

He went to his bathroom, wet a washcloth with warm water, and walked back. “Any chance you’re aware enough to do this yourself?” he asked. Veronica just snuggled into his pillow, making him sigh. “Thought so.”

 

With his eyes mostly closed he peeled her out of her dress, putting her into one of his sweatpants immediately. He then tried to get as much of the alcohol off of her as he could while only touching her minimally. Then he put an older T-Shirt from his police academy time on her and let her sink back into the bed. 

 

He sat on the side next to her, brushing a few stray hairs from her face, frowning at the stickiness. 

 

“Hmmmm,” she mumbled, her eyes opening a bit. “Hey…”

 

He pulled his hand back. “You awake?”

 

“Sheriff,” she muttered, smiling. 

 

Something in his chest jumped. She had never called him that before, always calling him Deputy. 

 

“Veronica?” he asked, his voice too quiet, too hoarse, he needed to leave this room -

 

Her hand wrapped around his wrist. “Your eyes are so pretty,” she whispered, still with that smile. “Had the biggest crush on you…”

Her thumb was drawing circles on his wrist and he  _ really _ needed to leave.

 

“Okay,” he muttered, carefully taking his wrist out of her hand. “You go to sleep now, Ronnie,” easily slipping back to the nickname he had used when he first started as a deputy under her dad. “You’re safe now…”

 

“Always felt safe with you,” she replied, already falling asleep.

 

“Jesus,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. He moved off the bed, grabbed some clothes, and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself.

 

“This is not good,” he mused, his head leaning against the door, his clothes pressed to his groin. He was aroused. By a 17 year old, drugged Veronica Mars.  _ This is definitely not good at all. _

 

***

 

Veronica woke up in a room she didn't recognize. She also reeked of alcohol, wore unfamiliar, clearly male clothes, and, oh yeah; didn't remember anything from the night before. 

She was pretty much hyperventilating when she saw the note on the nightstand. 

 

_ Stop freaking out.  _

_ You're safe, bathroom is the door next to the dresser. The door locks. Take a shower; your dress is still drying so you can put those clothes on again.  _

_ Explanation, breakfast, and coffee when you're done.  _

 

_ Don _

 

Veronica stared at the note. She was in Don Lamb’s apartment. Wearing his clothes. With no memories after she arrived at Shelley’s party. 

 

“What the hell?” She muttered. But in the end she decided she really needed that shower… and then she could confront him.

Because he owed her a serious explanation. 

 

She entered the kitchen about 20 minutes later, indeed still wearing his clothes, for lack of other options. He was standing at the counter, sipping a coffee, and reading…

 

“Is that Lord of the Rings?” 

 

He looked up and she was rooted to the spot. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, which had been the only thing she had seen him wear in years. Instead he wore nice, black slacks and a green button down. Paired with an obvious bit of stubble and rumpled hair… yes, this was a different side of him than usual.

 

“Tolkien’s a master,” he answered and she shook herself out of it before he caught her staring. 

 

“Coffee?” he asked and she nodded, sitting down at the table. He prepared a cup for her - perfect, and she wondered how he knew how she took her coffee.

 

“So…” she said after a few moments of silence. “Not that I don’t enjoy the view of  _ casa de Lamb _ , how the hell did I end up here?”

 

“What language,” he replied with a smirk but put a bookmark into his book and sat down at the table himself. “What do you remember from last night?” he asked with a serious face.

 

Veronica opened her mouth to give a glib response, but then closed it, because… “Nothing,” she whispered. “I don’t… I went to the party, but… everything after that is pretty much a blur…” A horrible thought crossed her mind. “Oh, god. Was I… did I…?”

 

He shook his head. “No. I’m pretty sure no one hurt you, Veronica.”

 

The relief that swept her was indescribable. “What happened? Why am I here?”

 

He leaned back, taking another drink of his coffee. He avoided her eyes, giving her the time to study him undetected. He looked… much more like the young deputy she had first met than the asshole who threw her father under the bus. It made it hard for her to hate him with her whole being.

 

“Someone called the station last night and I took the call,” he explained. “A young woman - pretty sure she was the blonde I saw when we left, she seemed relieved to see you being taken away - said someone needed to come and help a girl, she was obviously drugged and unsafe.”

 

Veronica swallowed, feeling nauseous. “So you actually answered the call?” she asked, trying to gather herself.

 

“Veronica,” he said, staring at her, his eyes steely, “I’ll freely admit that I’m not a nice person, but I’m not the monster you think I am. I wouldn’t leave anyone to be assaulted or violated when I have the option to help.”

 

_ No, he wouldn’t _ , she thought. She knew that. “Sorry,” she muttered, looking at her coffee.

 

He sighed. “Anyway… when I got to the party, I found you. Clearly not in the right mind and…”

 

He trailed off and Veronica looked up sharply. “What?” she asked. “Was I naked?”

 

He looked clearly uncomfortable and on impuls she reached out and touched his hand. “Tell me, please,” she said. “Or I’ll just assume the worst.”

 

He stared at their hands for what seemed to Veronica to be a very long moment before taking a deep breath. 

 

“You weren’t naked, but they had pulled down your dress to your stomach and pulled up the lower part some, too,” he said reluctantly. “They used you as a salt lick - which is why you were lathered in alcohol - while some others stood around laughing.”

 

Veronica moved back in shock. She felt bile rise up from her stomach. “Where they… taking pictures?”

 

“I didn’t notice, but it seems likely.”

 

“Who… who was it?” she asked next, her voice shaky. “Who?”

 

“I’m not sure I should tell you,” he answered. “Will it make it better?”

 

“I… I don’t know,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes. “But if I have to go to school with them, I want to know…”

 

He sighed. “Logan Echolls,” he started, “Dick Casablancas… I think the other kid was Sean Friedrich, but I’m not completely sure. No idea if there were others I didn’t see.”

 

She nodded. She could see it… those three were some of the biggest assholes… “Excuse me,” she said and bolted back to the bathroom.

 

***

 

Don cursed and walked after her. He found her kneeling over the toilet, heaving and coughing violently. He sat on the floor next to her and gathered her hair back, making sure it stayed away from her face while she emptied her stomach. 

He wished he hadn’t told her, but he also knew she would have found a way to get those names… better he gave them to her than her getting into trouble trying to find out.

 

“Better?” he asked when she seemed done. Her face was a mess, skin blotchy and streaked with tears. At her small nod he got up and filled a glass he always had in his bathroom with water, handing it to her. She cleaned her mouth and spat before flushing, while he looked for a new toothbrush. 

 

“Here,” he said, holding it out. “Get cleaned up.”

 

He left her to it and wandered back to the kitchen. Luckily, he hadn’t started breakfast yet, she probably wasn’t in the mood now…

 

“How did I end up in your clothes?” she asked when she came back and he had just been staring at his coffee.

 

“Huh?” he asked, startled, and then shook his head as she sat back down. “Oh. You didn’t want to go to the hospital and I wasn’t suicidal enough to actually drop you on your dad’s doorstep in that condition,” he said, sending her a small smirk. “So I brought you here to sleep it off. But they had poured Tequila all over you, so, I…” He looked away, feeling his face heat. “I didn’t look more than I had to, okay, but I cleaned you off a bit and put your dress in the wash…”

 

He stopped rambling and cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Damn, he was showing her all his tells, all his walls were down. She could use this against him for months if she wanted, and he didn’t even care.

 

“And then what?” she asked quietly and he turned back to look at her face. 

 

“Then you fell asleep,” he replied, making sure to look her in the eye and not seem like a lying liar who lied. “I took a shower and went to sleep on the couch.”

 

She nodded slowly. “Did I… say anything?”

 

_ I had the biggest crush on you _ , ran through his head and he swallowed. 

 

“Nope,” he said, “you were completely out of it.”

 

Her eyes narrowed and he knew she didn’t believe him. He must have earned some karma points though, because she didn’t dig deeper for once.

 

“Well,” she said, swallowing. “That’s a much better outcome than I feared then.” She pointed to her arm which was covered with a bandaid. “And this?”

 

“Oh!” he remembered. “Yes, that. I took a blood sample.”

 

She blinked. “Why?”

 

“Because I want to know what they gave you,” he said, “and couldn’t risk it being gone in the morning.” He got up and opened the fridge where he had two vials of blood, clearly labelled with her name and the date. “I’ll bring it by the lab personally, keep it private.”

 

She nodded, staring at him. “That’s good… will you let me know? When you have a result?”

 

He put the blood back and looked at her seriously. “Veronica,” he said, “I will find out what happened, okay? I don’t want you to do your own investigation on this.”

 

“And why not?” she immediately exploded, gripping the table tightly. “They did this to me! Maybe to others! Who knows what they would have done, if -”

 

Don knew what she couldn’t say:  _ if you hadn’t been there. _ Her pride was way too strong for that.

 

“I know,” he said instead. “Believe me, I know. But I will find out, okay? I know you don’t think I’m a good Sheriff, and that’s your right, but, Veronica, I  _ promise _ , I’ll get to the bottom of this. Okay? Just, for once, trust me.”

 

They stared at each other and she was the first one to look away. 

“I trusted you before,” she muttered. “Didn’t do me much good.” She sighed. “But fine. You do your thing. But we  _ do not  _ tell my dad!”

 

“Agreed,” he answered immediately. Keith finding out was the last thing he wanted. 

 

He got up. “So. Do you want some breakfast? Or rather not, if your stomach is still upset?”

 

She thought about it for a moment. “Uh… maybe not,” she said. “I should probably go home…”

 

He nodded and looked around. “Yeah… I picked your car up yesterday, parked it a block from here.” He found her keys and handed them to her. “Heads up, someone wrote ‘Slut’ on it. I tried to get it off as best as I could, but some is still visible.”

 

She frowned. “Why would… no, it doesn’t matter. You’ll find out, right?”

 

He felt relief at her words. Maybe she really did trust him for once… “Yeah, I will,” he said. “Let me check on your dress. Your dad should probably not see you in my clothes, if we want to keep this from him.”

 

_ Way to make it sound like you’re having a sordid relationship with Keith’s daughter _ , he thought as he went to check the dress. It was still wet.

 

“Okay, that’s not going to work,” he said and went to the bedroom, hearing her naked feet on the floor following him. “Different shirt then, at least, so it’s not obviously mine.”

 

Police Academy with Lamb on it? Dead giveaway. 

 

He went out of the room to let her change the shirt and then brought her to the door. 

 

“Look, if you remember anything, let me know,” he told her. “And if… if pictures do turn up, try to keep your head high and your temper cool, okay? I don’t want to arrest you for making Logan Echolls infertile.”

 

“Don’t worry, no one would be unhappy about that,” she said, her usual grin slowly returning.

 

He laughed and shook his head. “Take care, Veronica,” he said, opening the door for her.

 

She stepped out but then turned around. “Hey, uh, De - Don,” she stammered. “I… Thank you. Seriously. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you -”

 

He nodded, looking her in the eyes. “Of course, Ronnie,” he replied. “As for making it up to me…” He smiled slightly. “You could call me Sheriff again.”

 

She frowned. “Wait… again?”

 

He laughed and closed the door. “Bye, Veronica!”

 

He heard her grumbling and then leave, his back to the door. 

He moved back to the bedroom, noticing that she had forgotten to take her dress with her. He looked around the room, his eyes falling on the bed. Slowly he walked closer, grabbing the blanket and pulling it up to his nose without even thinking about it. It smelled like alcohol, but underneath that… 

 

_ Fuck, _ he cursed in his head, feeling his cock twitch in his pants.  _ I’m so damn screwed. _

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea if/how these two will end together, thoughts?
> 
> Comments are love <3


End file.
